Putin warns of ‘global catastrophe’ if NATO troops clash directly with Russia and says there is ‘no need for massive strikes on Ukraine… FOR NOW’ as he announces mobilisation will be over in two weeks
Vladimir Putin said today that a direct clash between NATO and Russian troops would lead to a ‘global catastrophe’, adding that he saw no need to carry out massive strikes against Ukraine… ‘for now’.
The Russian strongman also said the recent military mobilisation he ordered is coming to an end, and he has no plans for further conscriptions once it has finished.
Putin was speaking in Astana during a meeting of The Commonwealth of Independent States Summit (CIS), where he sat down with allies – most of them leaders of post-Soviet states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the plenary session of the Commonwealth of the Independent States (CIS) Summit, October 14, 2022 in Astana, Kazakhstan
‘I hope that those who are saying this are smart enough not to take such steps,’ he said at a press conference in the Kazakh capital of a possible conflict between Russia and the western defence alliance.
He said he currently saw no need for ‘massive strikes’ on Ukraine now – but that could change in the future. He insisted that it was not his goal to destroy Ukraine with his on-going invasion.
‘There is no need now for massive strikes. There are other tasks. For now. And then it will be clear,’ he said.
Fears have risen in recent weeks over the possibility of Moscow launching nuclear strikes, after suffering a series of embarrassing setbacks in Putin’s invasion.
It was revealed on Friday – shortly before he spoke in Astana – that Putin has increased the number of his strategic nuclear bombers stationed at an airbase near the Finnish and Norwegian borders, satellite images show.
He went on to say that the ‘partial mobilisation’ he announced last month, which the defence minister said aimed to recruit 300,000 soldiers, was finishing and would be over within two weeks.
‘Nothing additional is planned. No proposals have been received from the defence ministry and I don’t see any additional need in the foreseeable future.
‘Now 222,000 people have been mobilised out of 300,000. Within about two weeks, all mobilisation activities will be completed.’
A total of 33,000 of them are already in military units and 16,000 are involved in the military operation in Ukraine, he said.
Pictured, from left: Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon and Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov attend a joint photographing ceremony before the Russia-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022
Asked if he had any regrets over ordering the invasion of his neighbouring country on February 24, Putin said: ‘No.’ He acknowledged that the war us unpleasant, but said he believed what his forces were doing was right.
Putin said he ‘doesn’t see the need’ for talks with US President Joe Biden over an end to the war, but suggested he was open to talks with Kyiv.
‘We should ask him if he’s ready to hold such talks with me or not. I don’t see the need, to be honest,’ Putin said, asked about a potential meeting with Biden on the sidelines of a G20 summit in November. He added that his participation in the summit hosted by Indonesia is not yet decided.
‘The question of my trip there has not been finalised. Russia will certainly take part. As for the format, we’re still thinking about it,’ Putin told reporters following a summit in Kazakhstan.
Speaking earlier this week, Biden said he had ‘no intention’ of meeting with Putin but did not rule out potential talks.
The call-up, announced by Putin in September, has proved hugely unpopular in Russia, where almost all men under the age of 65 are registered as reservists.
The Russian leader initially described the mobilization as ‘partial’ and said only those with combat or service experience would be drafted. However, a decree he signed outlined almost no specific criteria.
Russian media reports have described attempts to round up men without the relevant experience, including those ineligible for service for medical reasons. In the wake of the president’s mobilisation order, tens of thousands of men left Russia.
Putin’s comments ccame after widespread attacks against Ukraine, such as those Russia launched Monday in retaliation for an October 8 truck bomb explosion on a prized bridge linking Russia to Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.
The Kerch Bridge explosion followed Ukraine’s recapturing of occupied areas in the country’s east and south in continuing counteroffensives that have restored Ukrainian confidence and embarrassed Russia’s military.
Putin’s comments came shortly after damning evidence collected by the UN said Moscow’s forces are using rape as a weapon of war against Ukrainians.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…
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